“Can you bring an extra setting? This is Tyler, and he’ll be joining us today. Tyler, this is Steph. Best hostess in New York.”
She arched a brow. “Marcus, you dog. How long have you two been dating?” She assessed Tyler, who’d turned red under her scrutiny. “I’m not surprised though. You’re gorgeous, Tyler. Make sure you keep this one on his toes, and don’t let him give you any shit.”
Marcus made a face. “Very funny. We’re not dating; we’re friends.” He turned to Tyler. “Let’s go. By my estimate we’re only one round behind.”
They threaded their way through the tables, and Marcus reached his friends and placed his hands on Zach’s shoulders, who sat with his back to him. “Hey, don’t drink up all the champagne without us.”
The conversation halted mid-sentence, and if Marcus was hoping to make an entrance, he’d gotten his wish. Everyone at the table stared not at him, but at Tyler, who stood fidgeting and uncomfortable at his side. Zach peered over his shoulder to see what people were looking at, and when he spotted Tyler, a huge smile broke out over his face.
“Julian said you probably weren’t showing up, but I told him to give you a few more minutes. I knew you had a reason to be late.”
Marcus scowled at Julian who hadn’t taken his eyes off Tyler. “Why the hell would you say that? I said I’d be here.”
Julian quirked a brow, finally making eye contact with him. “You’ve said a lot of things lately, much of which made no sense to me. Until now.” He focused his gaze back on Tyler. “Hi, I’m Julian, Marc’s voice of reason. This is my husband, Nick.”
Nick choked on his beer and laughed. “Nice to meet you, Tyler. Welcome to the show.”
“You’re a fucking pain in the ass.” Marcus sat down in the empty seat next to Zach, pointing to Tyler to take the seat next to him.
“So you’ve said. Yet you love me anyway.”
When he didn’t answer, Zach cleared his throat. “Um, hi Tyler, I’m Zach. I’ve seen you at the club. This is Sam, my boyfriend.”
Sam leaned back and waved, then patted Marcus on his shoulder. “How’s it going?”
“Zach is Marcus’s conscience,” said Julian, with an evil cackle.
“Nick, can’t you hose him down or slap a mask on him? Anything to shut him up.” Marcus leaned over to whisper in Tyler’s ear. “Nick’s a fireman.”
Tyler said nothing, only nodded and sipped his water.
“Tell us about yourself, Tyler.” Julian hadn’t taken his eyes off Tyler since they sat down. “You’re one of Marcus’s dancers at the club, right?”
The waiter brought him and Tyler their drinks, and they ordered. Marcus noticed Tyler only ordered a toasted bagel and knew it was due to the high cost of the food. It shouldn’t have bothered him that it bothered Tyler, but it did.
Tyler played with his silverware a bit before answering. “Yeah. I was until I got injured, but I’ve been cleared by the doctor, so I’d like to start again as soon as possible.” He glanced over at Marcus.
“Tonight?”
“Yeah. I need to start making money ASAP.”
Marcus took a deep drink of his mimosa, then waved his hand. “I’ve told you not to worry about it. It’s no big deal.”
The moment the words left his lips, Marcus realized he made a huge mistake. Between Tyler’s pride and the sensitive subject of him accepting help from Marcus, Marcus should’ve chosen his words with more care. Especially in front of his friends.
Tyler’s eyes shot angry sparks, and he slapped his hand on the table. “It’s a big deal to me. I’m not taking any more of your charity. As a matter of fact,”—he stood and fumbled in his wallet, then finally pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and tossed it on the table; it might even have been his last; Marcus knew how little money Tyler had—“I don’t even understand why I’m here. I’m going back home, I mean to your apartment, packing our stuff, and moving back to my apartment. Sorry to ruin your breakfast everyone. Bye.” He stormed off, out of the restaurant.
Reeling as if he’d been physically slapped, Marcus couldn’t believe Tyler had left him. When he’d recovered somewhat, he drained the rest of his drink in one gulp, studiously avoiding meeting anyone’s eyes. It came as no surprise to him though, that Julian spoke first.
“Aside from everything else, did I hear right? Did Tyler say he was living with you?”
“Julian,” said Zach in a stronger voice than Marcus ever heard before. “I don’t think this is the time to start questioning Marcus.” Zach leaned over and whispered in his ear. “I think you should go after him and talk things out.”
Refusing to let anyone, even his best friends, know he hurt inside, Marcus lifted his empty glass to the passing waiter. “Can I get another one, please?” To Zach, who gazed back at him, puzzled and disappointed, he laughed. “Don’t look so sad. I gave him and his little niece a place to stay because I felt sorry for them after Tyler was beaten up and injured on his way to work at my club. He was my responsibility. That’s all it was.”
“It didn’t seem—”
“Drop it, Zach,” he said, snapping at his friend harsher than he’d intended. “I’m fine.”
